“Collectively, the world is more stressed, worried, sad and in pain today than we’ve ever seen it,” Gallup’s managing editor, Mohamed S. Younis, said in a letter in the report.

…

“Globally there’s upheaval,” Molitor says. There’s migration crises (“and a lot of suffering involved in that,” she says), instability in government (with Brexit happening in Europe, infighting in the U.S., unrest in Turkey, crises in Yemen, and many other places), and dire climate warnings.

There’s a lot of uncertainty, which drives stress, worry, and all of the emotions that go along with that, she says. “And whether you’re politically aware of it or not, it’s kind of in the zeitgeist.”

Molitor says her patients (who are notably in most part middle and upper middle class individuals) are feeling very anxious, overwhelmed and helpless. “They are feeling under siege,” she says.

I’m not surprised. Frankly, I have been feeling a lot more stressed out, afraid, and angry than usual lately, and I know many of you feel the same. Is it just me, or is the world getting even crazier? It’s gotten to the point where I don’t even want to check the news anymore. And don’t even get me started about Donald Trump…

Protester’s sign during Trump’s recent visit to the U.K.

Here are a few suggestions on how to cope in crazy, stressful times from the article:

Get involved: Find a cause related to what’s driving your stress and unease and give back.

Get educated: Particularly when it comes to the divisiveness that’s becoming synonymous with politics in the U.S. and elsewhere, be curious about others’ opinions rather than judging them immediately.

Be grateful: Have gratitude for what you do have in your life and the things that you can count on — like the people you love and those who love you.

Focus on what you can do: You’re certainly not going to be able to change everything that bothers you, but you likely can change some of it. Ask yourself what things can you do to feel more hopeful every day, and do them. (That doesn’t mean you get to completely ignore the negative things that happen in life, but you don’t need to dwell on them all the time.)

Take care of you: Doing things like sleeping well, eating well, moving (it doesn’t have to be going to the gym), laughing and doing your laundry — taking care of your basic needs — these acts go a long way in helping you feel more in control and better able to deal with whatever challenges land on your plate.

Make time for the people you care about: Social support is one of the number one ways to boost resiliency. Scores of research show being lonely worsens stress and worsens health outcomes, while being with and relating to others boosts positive emotions.

Pay attention to what’s pushing your buttons: A big part of not letting those negative emotions getting the best of us is knowing what’s causing those negative feelings to begin with. If Twitter wars put you on edge, limit how much of that you take in, when you read it or whose rants you read.

Personally, I think it’s time I took an extended Trump news break…for my own sanity.

On a somewhat funnier note, my newly-created Donald Trump avatar has already been banned from his first sim in Second Life: the hellfire and eternal torment experience run by the Demon’s Forest group. It would appear that even Hell doesn’t want Donald hanging around!

“I’m the best with avatars, I have the best avatars, the news, they say I can’t do avatars, that’s wrong, they’re wrong, Fake news! I think, people, when they think about good avatars, I can make avatars, with any avatars, all the time, better than China, better than anyone…”

Every so often I get the itch to create a new avatar. I’ve been wanting to create a Donald Trump-lookalike avatar for quite some time, and today I finally did it! I was able to snag the perfect avatar name, and here is what he looks like:

Now, I wasn’t as happy with the head that came with the default body, so I removed that and replaced it with another one I liked much better from the SL Marketplace. It’s got a much more pompous expression:

Mesh Head:Male Head 2 Mesh (L$299 on the SL Marketplace; this head is completely resizable and you will need to scale it down quite a bit, then attach it to the Neck position on the avatar; I deliberately left it a little on the large size to give him a cartoon look, but you can certainly make it smaller. You can even tint it slightly more orange if you wish!)

This would definitely be the most expensive option, as in addition to the L$399 skin applier, you will need to buy the Catwa Stanley head (L$5,000), plus a suitable mesh body (Session Skins sells body skin appliers for both the Belleza Jake and Signature Gianni mesh bodies for L$299 each). The Belleza Jake body costs L$2,999 and the Signature Gianni body is L$3,500.

So you’ll be looking to spend between L$8,697 and L$9,198 for the base Donald Trump avatar, and then you will still have to go out and spend even more on suitable clothing.

However, one advantage of this most expensive option is that you can get this Donald to wear anyting (and I mean, anything) you want. I’m thinking maybe some assless chaps and nipple rings, a black leather Make American Great Again cap, and a chain collar and leash, being led around by a Vladimir Putin avatar…

(Hint: Session Skins also sells a Catwa head skin applier for Vladimir Putin…)